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I was kindly invited down to the W Hotel near Leicester Square yesterday evening to receive (my first) Sienna X spray tan courtesy of celebrity tan artist James Harknett.

I had never been to the W hotel before but I will definitely try to go again! It was super modern with plenty of chrome, plasma screens and glitz, not to mention a giant glowing ‘W’ on the outside. When I arrived I travelled up in the quilted lift to the Away Spa to meet the lovely James and receive my tan.

The Away Spa

James is a very experienced tanner who worked with St. Tropez for over 10 years and has recently collaborated with Garnier, as well as currently working with Sienna X. He was fab, putting me at ease straight away and helping me decide what shade would be best for my skin type (very pale, redhead skin) as there were around 12 different options; this was great as it meant I could really a get a customized tan rather than having to simply choose between ‘light or dark’. James decided on one coat of the #12 to avoid looking too fake and was done in a super speedy 15 minutes!

What was great about Sienna X was that it did leave a very natural golden finish, whereas some guide colours can come out so dark that your teeth and the whites of your eyes look practically radioactive! I was worried about having to travel home on the tube looking so obviously spray tanned but I really didn’t need to worry about it with this tan as it was lovely and natural, plus it didn’t smell! James told me that he tries to make his spray tans as quick yet natural as possible so that people can pop in on their lunch breaks or just before they nip home from work and with Sienna X this definitely seems to work. Plus, James has a handy little dryer so that you don’t have to wait around with your arms out waiting to dry.

After washing off the guide colour this morning I was left with a really even, non-smelly golden glow which did look very natural for my fair skin type. I received a lot of compliments throughout the day and am really happy with the result, though being the tanaholic that I am I probably will go a little darker next time.

The Sienna X tan is supposed to last between 5-7 days, so long as you moisturise your skin regularly, use non-oily based moisturisers/make-up, pat skin dry rather than rubbing after a shower and bathe in warm water rather than hot. This is perfect for me as I have Valentine’s Day AND London Fashion Week coming up so it will really put Sienna X through its paces. Below is an initial before and after shot – I will try and document how it fades over the coming days.